


Eight degrees

by stranger12



Category: Original Work
Genre: Gen, Immortality
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-23
Updated: 2015-01-23
Packaged: 2018-03-08 18:57:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,366
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3219821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stranger12/pseuds/stranger12
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Oz was completely not in the mood to follow his friends into a pseudo–vampire gathering. There was no such thing as vampires.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Eight degrees

Oz English glared at his friends, stupid, stupid friends. Why was he friends with them anyway?

“C’mon, Oz, no pouting, dude” – his roommate, Clark Owens, said, almost whining. Oz glared harder.

“I am certainly not pouting” – he replied in his posh all around European accent that was impossible to determine where exactly it came from.

“Yes, you are. Now, you’ve come, so enjoy yourself!” – Lauren McLean, one of Oz’s friends, said with a giggle as they pressed the doorbell.

“Just don’t freak out or embarrass me” – Sarah Brennan, another of Oz’s friends, said exasperated. Oz shrugged, looking annoyed still.

A dark haired, dark eyed man in his fifties opened the door with a gentle smile and welcomed them in. Oz glanced at the man before entering last. The apartment was large and upscale, but nothing impressive – to him anyway. There was a good number of people there, about twenty or so, and many looked at the college students when they came in. Many went to greet Sarah, the only one who had already been there and thus the only one who knew any of those people; the pretty blond introduced her friends.

“And that’s Oz English in the back. Ozzie, be nice” – she said with a slightly tight smile. The young man grinned.

“Glad to be here” – his tone was not sarcastic as his eyes took in every single detail of the large room. He settled his eyes on the forty–something man that seemed to be the center of the group’s attention. The man smiled at him.

“So nice to meet some of Sarah’s friends. And you, young man. Such a marvelous accent, where are you from, exactly? I would guess Mediterranean, but well, it’s quite a difficult accent to pinpoint” – Oz’s eyes sparkled.

“I am from all around Europe, actually, but I was born in Italy” – the man nodded.

“Well, tonight is a grand night indeed. We will turn two of our beloved ones. Sarah and Jane” – a red headed older woman smiled as she walked to the man. Sarah did as well – “Ah, and where are my manners? I am your humble servant, John Parker”

Oz stayed quite a few feet behind the crowd, though he was tall enough he could see all that was happening. The red head sat on the chair right at the center of the room, and John kneeled in front of her.

“Do you wish eternal life?” – he whispered loud enough for Oz to hear.

“Yes”

“Do you promise eternal allegiance to your equals?”

“Yes, I do”

“Do you promise never to sever ties with your equals?”

“Yes”

“Well, then” – he grabbed a silvery, sharp dagger and swiftly cut her wrist. She moaned in pleasure as her arm fell limp over a cup, and her blood dripped. Oz resisted the enormous urge to snicker; Clark and Lauren looked fascinated, and Sarah, oh, she looked absolutely ecstatic.

John gathered all of the blood that fell from Jane’s wrist then went and dropped his lips to her pale skin. Oz was disgusted, for it was obvious the man was sucking on the woman’s blood. Like a vampire. He wondered how many people this John Parker had managed to trick over the years, for he had plenty of balls – he had done this plenty of times before, definitely. The young man stepped forward when Sarah took the red head’s place. He went through the people and stayed as close as possible to his friend, who shot him a smile.

“May I ask something, before you move on to Sarah, John Parker?” – the man and the crowd looked at him at once. There was some strange urge from all of them to have him continue speaking, whatever it was.

“Yes, most certainly, mister English” – John accommodated as Sarah sat.

“Why do you suck the blood?”

“I do not ‘suck’ anything, mister English. I drink. As we all will when Sarah has turned”

“Right. ‘Turn’”

“Ozzie” – Sarah pleaded.

“Sorry, Sarah, I’m just a little bit confused about this whole vampire turning ceremony”

“We do not use the term ‘vampire’. We are no such monsters, we are ‘immortals’”

“Are you? Really, immortal?”

“I am. I was turned twenty years ago”

“Really? Twenty years ago. That’s older than them” – he motioned to his friends. John frowned a little at the phrasing.

“‘Older than them’, you say”

“Yes”

“But not you?”

“No” – he snorted – “I’m a little bit older than just twenty”

“How much older, if I may ask. You have peaked my curiosity” – Oz’s smirk was slow and dangerous.

“Sorry, I don’t like to talk about my age, makes me feel old. Excuse me, carry on with Sarah. I was just concerned about her well–being, as I am her friend”

“Naturally, yes. No need to apologize, mister English” – Oz nodded and stayed quiet. Sarah sighed, glad, and smiled at him as John kneeled in front of her. Oz watched with cold eyes as her wrist was cut and she, too, seemed in ecstasy as he cut and drank.

Afterwards, the cup with Sarah’s and Jane’s mixed blood was passed around after if was mixed with wine. Oz was the only one to refuse to drink, though no one seemed awfully upset with him. He stayed near Sarah, who nursed her wrist.

“Are you quite alright, Sarah?” – he asked softly, taking her wrist into his gentle hands. She smiled.

“I’m fine, Ozzie. John turned me, do you know how much trust he has in me?”

“As much as you must have for him, I’m sure”

“Yes, of course. And... I’m glad you’re here, that you saw it. It’s important to me” – she whispered, getting closer to him as he leaned and kissed her cheek.

“Forgive me, Sarah, but you know I...” – she stepped back, looking upset.

“Sorry, I... I just, I’m so happy, I didn’t think, I forgot you... Sorry”

“No need for that, Sarah. You are my dearest, dearest friend” – he pressed his lips against hers, but it was in no way romantic, and she knew it – “May I take a look at your wrist?” – she nodded and let him remove the cloth – “Clean cut. Nothing serious”

“Were you really worried about me?” – the girl asked softly. He smiled.

“As I said, you are my dearest friend, Sarah” – he rubbed her cut and she winced a little – “Excuse me”

“It’s alright. Just stings a little, I guess”

“Excuse me again, then” – she blinked as he gently put his lips on her wound. She blushed a little as she shivered. Then, she looked at her cut and it was gone, her skin unblemished. Her eyes shot up to Oz’s as he smiled – “As good as new” – he whispered.

“B–But... How did...?”

“Shh. Don’t dwell. It is done, you have no scars”

“Ozzie, how did you do this, I don’t... I...” – he smirked some.

“Being an ‘immortal’ is not staggering, but literally kissing a wound away is?”

“Well... Yes” – he laughed.

“You are so naïve, dear Sarah” – was his plain reply. John came around to check on her wrist and frowned deeply when she showed it, clean and perfect.

“It is healed” – he said in awe – “Did it close on its own?” – she shook her blond head.

“No, Ozzie... He did it” – John looked at the young man with wide eyes.

“You healed her?”

“Heal, no. Just made it go away” – he smiled – “Is that so surprising to you, John Parker? A person who can do such things?”

“It is certainly interesting, mister English” – John said, hiding his astonish well – “Have you always been able to do this kind of thing?”

“Kiss a wound away? No, when I was little I could not. My parents could, and my brothers as well. I am the youngest, so it took a while”

“Your entire family can...?”

“Yes. A family trait, John Parker”

“I see. Quite intriguing. Yes, yes” – he looked him up and down – “What is your major, mister English?”

“Foreign Relations. I am to be a diplomat in the near future”

“Quite am ambition. Why not dedicate yourself to medicine instead? With such a gift...”

“No. Medicine is not very... I do not care for it” – he grimaced – “As you can tell, I have little use for it, personally”

“Can you... ‘Kiss away’ any kind of injury?”

“What, like...” – he smirked – “Cancer?” – John faltered, though only Oz saw it – “I have never tried”

“Oh. And, would you? Try?”

“No, I don’t think I would” – he cocked his head – “Unless I had a good reason to do so, like, say, if a friend was in need, or if a friend asked me” – he glanced at Sarah and smiled at her. The girl smiled back.

“You hold your friends in high regard, I see”

“The highest. I am in no means close to my family, so friends are my haven on Earth” – John’s eyes flickered as he picked up on how oddly Oz phrased things at times.

“I understand completely. My family does not believe in immortality”

“As they should. It is nothing to be proud of, no offense, Sarah” – the girl looked at John.

“And why is that, mister English?” – Oz smirked.

“Because you end up stuck watching and never living. You are an immortal, you are forever, and the only ones who you can care for are other immortals. That can be tedious, no? I would imagine millennia with the same people to be quite... Sad”

“I have yet to live for millennia to be able to answer”

“Yes, of course. How silly of me. But, should you not say it differently?”

“Say what?”

“You are immortal. The opposite of mortal. Mortals live and die. Immortals walk the Earth and never perish, they do not live” – there was a fire in Oz’s eyes that intrigued John – “Immortals never live” – again, his odd phrasing.

“How old are you really, mister English?” – John asked softly. Oz huffed.

“Much older than I look. But that is not the question you wish to ask. You may ask”

“First, come. We should talk in private” – Oz threw a look at Sarah and nodded.

“Excuse us, Sarah. We’ll be back soon” – the girl, a little lost and dazed, nodded and watched them leave to John’s study, where hardly anyone ever went, as there was little that could not, would not, be spoken for all to hear. That all were allowed to hear.

John locked the door and observed as Oz’s eyes absorbed every detail, every book, every object, every shadow. The University student turned and smiled darkly at John.

“Who are you, really? Are you here to investigate me?” – Oz chuckled.

“And what makes you think that?”

“You are European, older than you look, as you said, and you are quite... Full of questions and not a lot of direct answers. But you are also full of opinions”

“That I am. A fault, my parents always told me. A fault they should have cut from the root when I was young, but alas, they did not, and here I am”

“How old are you? Let’s start with that” – the kind, sweet man was gone. The charm remained, but he was rougher.

“Old”

“No. Answer me” – Oz leaned against the table.

“I am... Older than you” – John frowned.

“That is...” – he widened his eyes – “That is impossible”

“And your kind of immortality by exchange of vows and blood is?” – in less than a blink, Oz had John pinned to the ground – “Scream and you will do little else in your pathetic existence” – he whispered. John nodded.

“What are you?” – Oz smirked.

“Learned how to say things, have we?”

“Answer me”

“Such a petulant child. I remember when I was like you. That need for answers was well implemented back in the day in Europe. Ah, Spain”

“What are you!” – John asked through teeth. Oz licked his lips.

“Shall we put it in simple terms?” – he leaned to whisper in the man’s ear – “I am a true immortal” – John gasped as Oz’s hand gripped his throat – “And I quite resent people like you. Pretending, fooling. As I said before, immortals have never lived. They may be born, but they are never brought to life, and that is a lesson for you, John Parker, so next time you speak about living forever as an immortal, you shall know you’re full of shit” – he let him go and got up. He straightened his suit as John rose and coughed – “How is your cancer going, John Parker? Cancer of the throat, is it?” – the man fingered his neck absently.

“Yes” – he answered quietly.

“Well, then, feel lucky. You shall be able to keep the charade for a while longer” – he wiggled his fingers – “I don’t use my lips alone” – John took a moment to realize what he’d meant and his eyes widened very much.

“Y–You have...?”

“Removed the cancer? Yes, quite. And I was lying. It is not the first time I do this, and I do not do it just when it is a friend or when a friend asks. I do it when I want to”

“Why did you do it?”

“Because I wanted to, John Parker. Besides, you are family” – the man frowned.

“Excuse me?”

“One of my brothers, well, his goal is to fuck whatever walks, or not walks. Man, woman, child. If they are the way he likes, and he likes a lot, he will take them, and some rare women get pregnant. They do not always carry the gene of immortality, but sometimes... Traces remain. That is one of the reasons why you have always been so insanely obsessed with living forever”

“H–How are we family?”

“My brother is your great, great, great grandfather, and also your great grandfather, and grandfather” – John laughed humorlessly.

“He screwed his own descendants?”

“Yes. Looks run in the family. You have sisters who have children, girls. I would expect my brother to drop in on them some day”

“That is... Perverted... And how... I mean, genes...”

“Immortality has its perks. Lack of proper, human genes is one of them. Which, of course, makes for very good genes that when mixed, do not result in monstrosities, deformations” – he eyed John – “You quite look like my brother. My nephew” – he extended a hand and the older but younger man took it slowly – “It it a pleasure to make your acquaintance, young man”

“Likewise. Sir. Uncle?” – he said cheerfully. Oz grimaced.

“I am far too young looking to be called your uncle, John Parker. And what a fantastically simplistic name you carry. My brother will be so very, incredibly disappointed one of his descendants is named so plainly. His name is Lucian, by the way” – John smiled.

“My grandmother, on my mother’s side, always described my grandfather as a grand man, so handsome the Sun itself felt inadequate to shine alongside him” – Oz laughed.

“Your grandmother was a poet, was she? Only poets, artists in general, are capable of such utter bullshit. And my brother, while as physically appealing as the rest of the original family, is probably the nastiest of us all”

“Why?”

“Did you not get that he likes to fuck the women in your family and impregnate them? I did not say he only screwed your great, great, great grandmother, and great grandmother, and grandmother. I only said he was their partner and seeder, I do believe he’s been with most of your female relations”

“Ours” – Oz grimaced.

“Do not remind me. Even my, our, own mother many centuries ago, fell to his charm. Quite disturbing a scene to witness, your brother and mother engaging in sexual activities” – John shuddered.

“I had no idea my family was so depraved”

“Mostly my brother, really. But, then again, immortality does make one insane with boredom, and indulgence is one of the best things in the world after so very long”

John Parker looked at this so called Oz English for a long time. They were bantering, trading words about their supposed shared family, about his brother, and his many times grandfather. But still, it was all… Surreal. Just now, Oz had him by the throat threatening to kill him if he so much as whispered for help or in pain, and now here they were, speaking so lightly. There was something about Oz, however. He was very... Intensely… Magical. Off. Odd. Different. Absolutely impossible to not drink up.

“What will happen to me now?” – John asked softly. Oz shrugged.

“You shall live. Thread through your human life, and die one day. Although… You have so much of my brother’s blood in your veins… And Sarah admires you so, I might be tempted to give you as much of a taste of immortality as I possibly can”

“Do you… Do you all have the power to do that?”

“As you humans, we are all very different, but yes, we do have our common traits. My brother can charm just about anyone and anything, as you might have noticed, and he is the only one of us to ever impregnate anyone. Our mother, who changes names every other decade, can alter her appearance at will, as well as other people’s. Perhaps a bit on the nose, but she currently works as a plastic surgeon” – he rolled his eyes and John snorted.

“Maybe a little too much, when you know what she can do”

“Naturally, no one knows about her, or they forget who she is. One of our traits is vagueness. We can do whatever to whomever, and they will only have a notion of having met us”

“What about your friends out there?” – Oz sighed.

“Friendships are important to me as anything, but they are, as all things human, fleeting. You meet people, stick around, they grow old, boring, petty, and then they die. Some, as Sarah, even come to want something more, however I suppose I have already drank enough of the human race that I do not want any more of it”

“Sarah did mention you weren’t… That you didn’t believe in relationships of any kind, fleeting or not” – Oz chuckled.

“Movies and books do immortality no good. My brother is an exception, not the rule. Besides him, the rest of my family has little to no interest in sexual or romantic liaisons, especially with fragile little humans”

“Why? Because it’s boring?”

“Because it won’t lead anywhere. As I said, my brother is the only one who has been capable of impregnating a human. If one cannot impregnate or get pregnant, what is the point? Sex and romance don’t seem to have such a big allure when you know there is no end game” – John nodded.

“I understand. Must be tiring” – Oz snorted.

“Immortality is no picnic, that’s for sure, John Parker. Those who long for it do not fully think it through. All they will give up, all they will never have. Everything they will lose, all those they shall meet, love and never live with forever. Being immortal is a curse few have to bear, thankfully”

“How many of you are there?” – the not–quite young man smirked.

“Not as many as you might think. How many, do you reckon?”

“Your parents, your brothers, perhaps?”

“Close enough. I have three older brothers. No sisters, but that is for the best. I imagine my brother would have seduced them long ago, as with our mother”

“He hasn’t, ah, seduced your other brothers, your father… You?” – Oz smirked.

“It has been a long time since we came to be in this world, John Parker, and before immortality became dull, we experimented everything human life had to offer” – the host laughed.

“I thought only my grandfather was a pervert”

“He is the most depraved, not the only one. Depravity is a loose term, though, since it refers to humans”

“Us humans with our ephemeral lives”

“You mortals with your magical existence” – John smiled.

“Us, mortals. Brief and yet bright”

“You, mortals. Stupid, but nonetheless stunning”

“The alliteration was a bit much” – John said after a quiet moment. Both laughed.

“You should have seen what passed as humor way back when. It surely would have shocked you, modern man”

“I am not so sure I am such a modern man, actually”

“But you are, John Parker. You certainly are”

“Do you… Always call people like that?”

“By their full names? Sometimes. And I do enjoy the taste of yours, so very uncomplicated”

“Your name… Is it, Oscar or something?” – the ‘young’ man snickered.

“No. Definitely, no. It’s ‘Octavius’. Father thought it had a nice ring to it, and I have stuck to it since it was given to me, although, of course, I have changed it during certain times in order to blend in”

“‘Ozzie’” – John stated minimally. The college student nodded.

“Exactly. I like the sound of it, and I have a fondness for Osborne” – John snorted.

“Really? Ozzie Osborne? How… Modern of you”

“The arts are remarkable in which they are forever changing, much like the humans who create them, however they sometimes remain for far longer than their creators”

“A sad though usual occurrence” – they traded smiles. Someone knocked – “Yes? Please enter” – a woman of around thirty stuck her head in and looked at the two men curiously.

“John? Is everything alright? You’ve been in here for such a long time” – she eyed Oz disdainfully, clearly remembering his, in her view, distasteful questions and remarks. He ignored her and let his eyes wander to the bookcase.

“Yes, Ingrid. Everything is just perfect. Ozzie” – and he said it with enough sarcasm for it to be quite obvious – “and I were just discussing some matters, nothing particularly important. Getting to know one another and everything” – Ingrid looked at the two as if something had clicked inside her, and Oz definitely didn’t like it.

“Nothing untoward is going on, of course” – he said smoothly, throwing John a dirty look that was completely ignored.

“Ingrid would never consider it, Ozzie. She is a lady” – Oz gave a wry smile and returned to looking at the books. John turned to the now confused woman; she’d never seen the ‘immortal’ being so close and loose with anyone, much less someone he’d just met, and especially someone who’d so openly questioned him negatively.

“I said nothing that would indicate she is anything else”

“You implied” – the college student merely rolled his eyes and ignored him again – “Well, Ingrid, as you can see, we’re both quite alright. In case Oz’s friends are concerned about him, please let them know that we are in good terms and having the most delightful conversation. I’m sure we’ll be done in a minute or so” – he smiled pleasantly and the woman nodded and left quietly.

“My brother will be happy to know you have some of his charm” – Oz commented.

“Is my grandfather… Is he close by right now?” – the ‘uncle’ tilted his head, considering.

“Sorry to say, but I have no idea. I haven’t seen my brother in over two decades. Last I heard, he was living in Australia, somewhere where there’s nothing but kangaroos and dirt. But he has always liked drifting along, never staying anywhere for too long”

“Pity. I would very much like to meet the man who so thoroughly charmed my grandmother”

“You wouldn’t like him. He has the sense of property of a wild monkey. I’m sure all the sex with descendants has clued you in”

“How about your other brothers? And your father?” – Oz shook his head.

“There is no reason for you to know about them. However, much like my mother, they have all taken to creating roots then moving on. We all move on rather quickly, usually after a generation has passed, or after an unfortunate incident. They are far in between, though everything is possible when dealing with mortals”

John smiled sadly, understanding that his ‘uncle’ saw him as a perhaps slightly interesting mortal human, but little else. Maybe a nephew. The problem was that, like Oz’s college friends, he was bound to one day perish (even though, apparently, he was going to live a much longer life than he imagined just at the beginning of the night), never able to truly become an immortal, threading through the Earth endlessly, worrying naught about dying, getting hurt, becoming old and useless.

He was free of cancer, but the knowledge of his insignificance stirred dangerous thoughts inside him.

Oz smiled at him, ever so slightly mocking.

“You were born human, John Parker, I was not. There is no changing that” – he snorted – “There is no turning completely immortal, not that I’ve been able to discover so far” – a crooked grin – “Though I confess I haven’t looked very hard”

“It’s okay, I understand” – and he did. It was a painful, even bleak truth, but John had gotten a new lease on life, and wouldn’t waste it by thinking pretty and ignoring reality.

“I think you might after all” – Oz looked sideways, and John though he could see something of his grandmother in his cheekbones – “We should go, I’m sure your, ah, following is very eager to see you again, make sure you’re alright” – he walked to the door. 

“Am I ever going to see you again?” – the immortal looked back at him with a blank expression.

“Maybe one day, John Parker, maybe never. You’re a mortal, you should know your life is always filled with possibilities” – he grinned for a final time and left the room.

John leaned against his desk and fingered his throat. Had Oz gotten rid of it, truly? He’d go to his doctor first thing in the morning to see about it, but he had little reason to doubt the younger, older?, man. He had felt something when Oz’s hand gripped his throat, something more than pain, something cold and warm at the same time, something... Unique.

The man laughed, all alone in his office. He wanted to become a vampire, and turned out to be the grand(something)child of a true immortal being.

Life really was rife with infinite possibilities, and he was determined to go through as many as he could.

**Author's Note:**

> I’ve no idea where I was going with this, and I’m not entirely sure I like the way it turned out, but I do like the idea behind it, so whatever. Hope this was entertaining enough. =]


End file.
